Growing up in Indiana, we were Hoosiers fans. We hated Ohio State basketball player Lawrence Funderburke. That attitude is typical when it comes to fandom, but it is not the attitude Jesus wants us to have.

Cleveland Cavalier fans burned LeBron James' effigies and jerseys when he left for Miami. That is not what Paul would advise.

Violence, racism, assaults, abuse, extortion, laundering, murder and every misdemeanor under the sun come with sports.

We dehumanize players, coaches and fans of opposing schools and teams. Sports can make us forget athletes and fans are people. But, the good news should impact how we view and treat people.

A few years ago I went to a Nebraska football game in Lincoln. When a Husker receiver caught a pass, a Husker fan yelled, “Yer my boy, Smith!” (generic name.)

The next play the same receiver dropped a pass and he yelled an expletive at him. This typifies the cold and hot attitude prevalent in fandom.

Sometimes we put an inordinate amount of emotion and hope into sports, which means sports can function as an idol. This is so prevalent in our culture, we might not even notice it. We need a better way to relate to athletes, fans and sports.

Athletes and teams are not put on a field to give us profound joy or personal bragging rights. They are not there to embarrass us or bring us distress and agony. They are not there for us to hate them, or pawns to win us money or bring us glory.

We might say our aim is to let Jesus into every corner of our lives, but it's difficult to let Jesus into our sports. In the last 10 years I've stormed out of our living room numerous times because it seems like my teams always lose.

Sports have a way of bringing out the worst in us. They have a way of bringing out the best too. The sport culture and industry are often dominated by pride, greed and ugliness, so being “salt and light” makes us stand out like a city on a hill.

It is beautiful when we integrate Jesus’ principles and politics into our attitudes and actions on the field, in the stands and in our living rooms.

Athlete, when you are face to face with your rival, consider what it means to value them above yourself!